Chapter 2

Seeing the two point three mile walk home (according to gps) as an opportunity, I opened the pack and took the first drag of a cigarette in three days. I groaned aloud with pleasure. Oh how missed smoking. The taste, the burn, the feel of it between my fingers. I stopped at a cute little gazebo surrounded by flowers to toss my cigarette butt in the trash can cleverly hidden inside a wishing well. The smoke had given me dry mouth so I was thankful to see a water fountain off to the side. I made a face over the taste of the chemicals in the water and started walking again. A few blocks later I discovered a liquor store. I wasn’t big into drinking, but, nothing goes with a smoking cheat day like rum.

According to the hours posted on the door I had ten minutes to get my booze before closing. I hurried inside to hunt down the good Captain Morgan. The kid who looked barely old enough to drink that was standing at the door gave me a dirty look as I rushed past him assuring him I’d only be a second. It took a little longer to find the rum aisle, but I had my bottle and was out the door before close.

I lit up another smoke as I was walking. A few blocks later, the businesses gave way to a residential area. I tossed the butt into the trashcan of someone that hadn’t bothered to move it from the curb. If they had an HOA I was sure they would be receiving a citation for that.

Once again I had dry mouth and I was out of anything to drink but the rum. I unscrewed the lid and took a swig. After I coughed and sputtered I continued on my trek. A few blocks later as I was singing “Don’t Stop Believing” or trying to, I could only remember the opening and the chorus, it dawned on me what I must look like. A tall singing red head in a charcoal hoodie, grey sweats, hiking boots, smoking, and drinking rum from a brown paper bag. I fell in someone’s yard when I got the giggles. But I didn’t spill my drink. No party foul for me! I couldn’t stop giggling long enough to stand up. Turns out drinking on an empty stomach gets you buzzed fast. Who knew?

I heard a sound to my right and rolled my head to take a peek. Huh. There was a pair of navy house shoes by my head. My eyes followed the shoes to a pair of ankles, then on up to some furry but muscled

legs. Oh please let those belong to a guy. Otherwise, I was so going to have to introduce the woman to waxing. When my eyes reached the blue and green plaid boxes I was pretty sure it was a dude looking down at me. It took a little longer for my eyes to move past the masculine six pack abs. Finally I made it to the face. It was slightly rounded and made me think of the Lego characters.

Huh. Maybe it was the rum goggles, but, he looked vaguely familiar. His dirty blonde hair was mussed

like he’d been asleep. The slightly blurred blue eyes seemed to confirm that he had in fact been asleep. I

wonder what woke him up? Oh. Hey. I hope it wasn’t me giggling in his front yard at o’darkhundred. O’darkhundred. That made me laugh again.

“Did I wake you?” I snorted on the giggle I was trying to hold in.

“I think you are waking the whole neighborhood.” He reached down to pull me to my feet. Feeling a bit like a newborn calf, I looked down to make sure my feet were still attached. Yep. They were still there.

“Thanks for the assist.” I told my rescuer before tottering towards my house which I could see was two

drives down.

“I’ll walk you home.” He tucked my arm through his. What a knight in cotton sleepwear! Was he wearing

the blue robe this whole time? I couldn’t be sure; my eyes kept getting blinded by the abs. “I just live right over there” I slurred while pointing in the general direction of the manor. He nodded his head. “I am aware. Now, let’s get you home safe and quiet.”

He walked me to my front door. I think he was going to leave me at the steps but, he’d caught me gallantly when I stumbled on them. When his eyes landed on the staircase in the foyer he gave me a look. “How about you sleep down here tonight?”

Hanging a right he led me through the archway that led to the sitting parlor. It was still filled with the same antique furniture as when I left. Except the monstrous flat screen pops had installed on the wall sometime while I’d been gone. My knight settled me on the couch with a blanket then went through the door that led to the butler’s pantry. I watched the tin ceiling that for some reason was moving around. When did it start doing that?

What felt like a moment later, my mystery guest came back with a pack of saltines and a bottle of water.

“Eat these, drink this.” After he moved the trashcan to beside the couch he told me goodnight and left. I ignored his offerings. I’d seen what happened to Alice. Instead, I closed my eyes and settled in for the night. Just as I was drifting off, I heard a female voice beside me.

“Sleep well little one. For the road before you is long and fraught with peril.”

I cracked an eye open. That voice was familiar. Ok, so obviously I had drunk more than I thought. My mother stood beside me. She was much tinier than I remembered, only a few inches over five feet maybe. As if her curly strawberry blonde hair pulled up into a high ponytail, secured with a neon

scrunchy, black stirrup pants and seafoam green men’s dress shirt wasn’t disconcerting enough, she was see-thru. I hadn’t imagined her ghost since I was in my early teens. Great, back home a few hours and I was already becoming a wackado again. Fan-frickin-tastic.

“Go away mommy hallucination. I gotta pass out now.” I closed my eyes and refused to look at her. I heard her musical laugh that sent daggers into my heart, I had missed that sound so much over the years.

“I’m not a hallucination my darling.”

I scoffed at her before I remembered to use my words, hallucination or not, this was still my mother after all. “Right, of course not. You really ARE the ghost of my mother. That makes more sense.” I scoffed again. “I’m done talking to you. Also, I’m calling a shrink in the morning. I am obviously in need of the help of a professional.”

I fell asleep listening to her singing Journey songs.